One of the most annoying 'chores' during my first year of teaching was managing that messy paint. I had these big cups with lids and matching paintbrushes (seen below), but it was inevitable that the colors would be mixed by 'that one kid' (you know which one) and then the whole giant cup of paint was ruined. Even when they used the correct brush with the correct cup, those kiddos who did the crazy-Picasso-helicopter-arm paintings managed to still mix colors. Grrrr.

Lakeshore $12.95

Although I loved the cups and concept, it was a little more mental stress than I wanted to dedicate to paint cups. I also had some overly picky girls who refused to use pink paint that had been tainted with a speck of brown. What to do?

Squirt bottles + ice cube trays = love

I can't tell you how much I love this. I found packs of these clear squirt bottles at Target in the kitchen supply area (a lot of other stores have them as well). I bought 12 and made sure I had enough for each color (including pink, skin colors, and gray). I also labeled the outside with the color names.

You could also opt for the cheaper (and disposable) version too...

I wanted to throw in an action shot of them and of course I can't find my picture... imagine the ones below... but larger... and all filled with paint. I'm so ashamed that I had to hunt for a picture. :(

Modern Teaching Aids ~$11

This was my 'helicopter arm' kid... possibly the most hilarious child I've met.

Why I love it:

less paint wasted

kids were independent and would only squirt out a little of each color they needed... then a little more if they needed it

less 'mixing' of colors

no dried up paint if we didn't use it during the week

I only needed to get the gallon size paint bottles out when the squirt bottles got low

Ice cube trays fit perfectly into the easel rack

CHEAP!!!

only one paintbrush needed per side... they rinsed with water in between color change

Science Connection: I only left the red, yellow, blue, white, and black bottles out when we learned about colors in science. They had to learn how to make their own green, orange, purple, pink, etc. Hahaha...... such a meanie.

OMG why didn't I think of this!? This is such a great idea. It's more organized, promotes independence, and saves on wasted paint. I love the fact that the child can have many colors to choose from and mix together. Brilliant idea!

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Sheila Jackson

7/30/2016 04:34:11 pm

I love your ideas. I look forwarding to seeing your other ideas, Thank you for sharing!!

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Fran

7/15/2012 11:28:16 am

Love the squeeze bottles! We use pump-top dispensers (1 quart size from Sally Beauty Supply) which have worked out pretty well, which are put at their level so kids learn to get their own paint. They do clog if i don't close them up, though, which is a pain. I am a super-meanie-only RYB and then I add white later on!

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Shannon

7/17/2012 11:18:15 am

This is a GREAT idea. I will definitely be borrowing this! Thanks for sharing!

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Donna

7/18/2012 03:19:54 am

Great idea!!! Just wondering, what is your set up for cleaning the ice trays and getting clean water?

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Lori

7/30/2012 12:08:00 pm

what a great idea. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't have paint out often last year, it was such a mess. I hated the 1/2 hour it took to wash out all the brushed and tubs. My students thank you and so do I!

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Wende

8/7/2012 09:57:53 am

We have breakfast in the room, so I recycle the juice or milk cartons we get for paint holders, and just toss them at the end of the week. I also use a big trashbag slit up the sides to drape and tape over the easel - no messy painted up easels! I just replace the bag halfway through the year.

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Lee Ann

8/10/2012 12:02:32 pm

I am an art teacher, and I have a group of up to 4 kids that paint at one table. I have used plastic muffin pans a parent gave me for years. We even put them into gallon size zip lock bags to use them again another day!

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rebecca

8/11/2012 12:34:55 pm

Genius! I have been teaching for 13 years and hate my paint area! I can't wait to try this out with my kindergarten students!!

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Kelly

9/14/2012 11:25:09 am

Thank you for such a super way to encourage independence for the students in the painting area!!! Also, love the inexpensiveness!!!

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jessica

10/28/2012 08:22:41 am

I love this idea every teacherknows how messy kids get with a cup full of paint it's like they're ultimate mission to waste every last drop thanks for the lovely idea and for saving me from a messy disaster.

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Stephanie

7/12/2013 06:55:08 am

This is excellent. I wish I would have read this BEFORE I bought all those matching paintbrushes and cups. I acquired some easels that sat in the corner for the rest of this year because I knew I was getting a bigger room THIS fall. I was so excited to finally have room for an art center and I bought that cup set. At least I can avoid the headache and wasted paint that would have taken me longer to learn on my own. Guess I'll collect those squirt bottles and ice trays. This sounds much more reasonable. Thanks!

Thanks so much! I am new to pre-k and appreciate all of your helpful hints.

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Diana Burress

7/3/2014 10:47:15 pm

I love the paint idea!

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Miranda

7/5/2015 08:18:31 am

Love this idea. For anyone who uses the paint cups, we had success with putting a fold - over sandwich bag in the cup and paint in the bag. At the end of the week we just threw the baggie away. If you add a little dish detergent in the cup it makes clean up a little easier. But I will be converting to the ice tray method this year so they can mix colors on a smaller scale and use my paint cups in the math/manipulative center for color sorting

Love the paint area ideas. Another great idea is to cover the easel with contact paper tray area as well to make clean up a breeze. Ours usually lasts two years but sometimes the paint tray area needs replaced after a year. We use white contact paper to help brighten up our easel area. It is also easy to wipe up paint that doesn't stay on the paper. 😉